Case: Smith & Nephew 2003

2003

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THE STORY

A classic case of restaging the corporate brand, by CEO Christopher O'Donnell, both to refocus and to refresh the business. Over several years, the company had stripped down from 'medical conglomerate' to focus on its three medical devices businesses; these in turn needed to coalesce more clearly in a common brand. That's the 'focus' part; add 'refresh,' the opportunity to stimulate both customers and employees with an expression of enthusiastic energy.

"We had a feeling" Sir Christopher told me "that our external presentation had not kept pace with our progress. What brought this home to me was the news that our slogan, 'First choice in medical devices,' which worked well with employees, seemed arrogant to customers." This triggered an extensive brand review. The new brand vision: "To be the best in helping people regain their lives by repairing and healing the human body." The personality goal: "Responsive, Confident, Energetic, Honest and Personable."

A year later, three months after launch, he summarized: "It took five years to transform ourselves from a conglomerate into an advanced medical technology business. It will take another five to ten years to really get it right. Creation of a stronger identity and a more cohesive brand was an essential fist step in moving into this new era."

The rebranding reinforced a restructuring into three newly defined sectors, and replacement of all unit and product logos with monolithic umbrella branding. And to help reinforce a common culture, a worldwide refurbishment of architectural interiors was designed. Tony Spaeth